Many disease states and physiological conditions can occur in a woman, including symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome, menstruation, and menopause. These symptoms may include dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping), irritability, water retention, moodiness, depression, anxiety, skin changes, headaches, breast tenderness, tension, weight gain, cravings, fatigue, and hot flashes. Symptoms of conditions can include itching and other associated sensory maladies.
Many of these symptoms are due to changes in hormonal levels throughout the menstrual cycle. Menstrual cramping is associated with increased levels of prostaglandin F2α, prostaglandin E2, and in some cases leukotrienes in the endometrium and menstrual fluid. These eicosinoids lead to restricted blood flow to the uterus and increased uterine contractions, causing pain.
One symptom is dysmenorrhea, which is the occurrence of painful uterine cramps during menstruation that affects a large number of post-pubescent women. The pain of dysmenorrhea originates in the uterus. Various analgesics can be effective in limiting the pain from dysmenorrhea; some have used orally-delivered analgesics, while others have searched for alternative analgesic delivery methods. Attempts have been made to deliver analgesics in the vicinity of the cervix and the vaginal mucosa using various vaginally-inserted devices and methods. A similar situation exists with many other disease states and physiological conditions.
Disposable absorbent devices for the absorption of human exudates are widely used. These disposable absorbent devices typically have a mass of absorbent formed into a desired shape, which is typically dictated by the intended consumer use. In the area of a catamenial tampon, the disposable absorbent article is intended to be inserted in a body cavity for absorption of the body fluids generally discharged during a woman's menstrual period. One convenient way to position such absorbent tampons into a body cavity is through the use of an applicator.
Because dysmenorrhea can occur in conjunction with menstruation, some have tried to combine an analgesic with a tampon such that the tampon can perform two functions: absorption and treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,909 describes a device and method for treatment of dysmenorrhea using a tampon as a therapeutic agent delivery system. The embodiments described therein each emphasize the location of the therapeutic agent and carrier portion of the therapeutic agent delivery system as being in close proximity to the uterus, specifically at the cervix or posterior fornix of the vaginal cavity. To accomplish this, the therapeutic agent delivery portion of the tampon is in each case located at the distal or cervical end of the tampon as a means to locate the therapeutic agent in proximity to the cervix. Various embodiments covering the structure of the distal end of a tampon, including tubes and porous materials such as foam cups, are presented in an attempt to deliver the therapeutic agent as well as to manage the menses into the absorbent structure of the tampon.